Composition and casting of type and in machines therefor



Oct. 21, 1941.- R. H. scol'r El-AL COMPOSITION AND CASTING OF TYPE AND IN MACHINES THEREFOR Filed Nov. 23, 1940 j uN- rso STAT-E Patented Oct. 21, 1941 COMPOSITION AND CASTING OF pream 'IN .MACHINES THEREFOR Richard Henry Scott, Enfield, a1id*William- .Fairall Gorse and Arthur .Staniland Hayward, ,Altrincham, England, assignors to Linotype and Machinery Limited, 7 London, England, j a. limited-liabilitycompany 'A-ppiication November 23, 1940; Serial mes-e811: ln Great Britain December-6, 1-939 23 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements-in the composition and casting of type on'machines such as are commercially known under the registered trade-mark--Linotype, in the normal operation of which circulating matrices stored in'a magazine are released therefrom by the operation of a keyboard and assembled in order of composition in a so-called assembler elevator whence the line of matrices is passed through an intermediate channel to a vertically movable line transporter or so-called first elevator in which they arrive at the line receiving position. The line is then carried downwards to its lowermost position in which it is brought opposite a mold on the face of a mold disc at which position-a typebar is cast and'then to its uppermost position where-the matrices are removed from the transporter jaw'to the distributing mechanism for return to the magazines, The transporterjaw then returns to the line receiving position. a

It is sometimes desired to cast one or more lines from a font of matrices not at the time 'carriedin the machine or' from matriceswhich are too large or otherwise not intended for machine composition and it is the principal object :Of the present invention to provide animproved method and apparatus whereby thisobject may be achieved.

With this and other ends-in view the' inven- .tion provides -a method of introducing a line of hand composed matrices into a typographical composing machine of the -kind referred to wherein the hand composed line is inserted into tion and returningdirectlytherefrom'to the line receiving position whence upon rotation of the rotatable member the matricesare removed;

The invention also resides in apparatus whereby the said-method is carried into efiectand-consists in a typographical composing machine having a transporter head which is rotatable and is provided with at least two jaws one of which may be detachable. Preferably'twojaws are "provided which are oppositely disposed to one "another and the detachable jaw may be-so transverse formed that it is suitable for use as a handcomposing stick.

A catch or other suitable means may be provided whereby one of' the said 'jaws may be retained in the operative position. Mechanism is also preferably provided whereby the cycle of the transporter is varied from that normally employed when the matrices are being automatically composed bythe use of the keyboardso that the transporter jaws are raised and lowered between the linereceiving and castingpositions only. i

In order that the invention may be more clearly understood a preferred embodiment thereof will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing in which:

- Figure lis a side elevation of a transporter head according to the-invention.

Figure -2 is a plan view of the arrangement shownin Figure 1.

Referring to the drawing the line transporter or first elevator of a typographical composing and slug casting machine is providedwith a rotatable head I having two oppositely disposed jaws 2 and 3. On the one side a standard elevator jaw 2 is provided and at theother side at 180 thereto a jaw'3 may be detachably secured to the'head by means of a quick locking device. 7 The transporter head I may be secured locked with either jaw in the linereceiving position. Such means conveniently comprise a shaft 6 extending horizontally through the transporter-body and having a pair of levers l, thereon one on either side of the transporter. The said levers I "are adapted to engage bolts 8 which extend vertically upwards to engage, as at 9, at the opposite sides of the transporter head I and are adapted when in the locked-position to prevent the head from rotating. The said bolts'8 are held in the locked position by means of a'torsion spring I0 surrounding the transverse shaft 6 and secured thereto so as to exert pressure on the bolts 8 to press them into their recesses. The shaft -6' is provided with a handle ll suitably secured thereto by means ofwhich the bolts 8 may be shot 7 orretracted.

The detachable transporter jaw 3 may, as hereinbeforementioned, be in the form of a h 'and composing. stick and the-same may be sehaving-hooked ends I4. The vertical plate 12 is beveled at its lower end on the side nearest to the transporter head and the two side plates I3, which may be secured to the transporter head by means of screws l6, are provided with longitudinal slots on their inner sides adapted to accommodate bolts I! which also engage the detachable jaw member as hereinafter referred to in greater detail. The rear ends of the said bolts I! are engaged by means of springs l8 which tend to press them outwards towards the detachable jaw and a slot I9'is provided at or about their rear end in which a pivoted member engages. The said pivoted member 20 is provided with a lever handle 2| by means of which the bolts are withdrawn. 7 V

The detachable jaw 3 is generally of the same configuration as thestandard jaw 2 except that such channels and grooves may be provided therein as may be required to accommodate matrices for odd lines in sizes and styles of type faces which are beyond the scope of the machine. The said jaw is provided with a downwardly-extending plate 22 at the side nearest to the transporter. The side of the said plate nearest to the transporter has its upper part set back and the same is formed at the lower part withan upwardly extending bevelled recess 23 adapted to engage the bevelled face l5 of the vertical plate I2 of the transporter head I. The said plate 22 is also provided towards the upper part thereof with twoslots 24 which, when the jaw is in position are in alignment with the slots in the side plates I3 ofthe transporter head I so that the bolts H which are slidable in the said side plate slots will also engage in the slots 24 of the transporter jaw plate 22. A rod 25 is let into the transporter jaw and passes through the said slots 24.

When it is desired to secure the detachable jaw 3 in position the plate 22 on the said jaw is positioned relatively to the vertical plate l2 on the transporter head I so that the bevelled edge l5 on the latter engages the bevelled recess 23 on the former and the slots 24 therein are in alignment with the slots in'the transporter head side plates, The bolts ll are withdrawn and the hooked, ends M of the transporter head side plates l3rare engaged over the transverse rod 25 in the transporter jaw 3. The bolts H are now allowed to shoot forward under the action of their springs I8,when they pass under the rods 25 and lock the jaw. To remove the jaw the said bolts H are retracted and the jaw is unhooked.

When it is desired to introduce a hand composed line into the machine the same isassembled in the detachable jaw 3 which is fixed in position. The bolt 8 which secures the rotatable transporter head I is withdrawn and the head is rotated so as to bring the hand composed line into the line receiving position. The cycle of the transporter is then altered so that the transporter jaw will only descend to the casting position and back to the line receiving position instead of carrying out its normal cycle. A convenient Way of changing the cycle is described in detail in our co-pending application No. 366,810 of even date herewith, When theline has been cast and returned to the line receiving position .the rotatable head is unlocked and rotated, the

standard transporter jaw is returned to the line receiving position and the head is locked. The normal cycle of movement of the transporter is restored and the machine proceeds automatically as before.

Having described our invention, we declare that what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A method of producing type in a typographical composing and slug casting machine having a vertically movable line transporter and means for supporting matrices therein, consisting in introducing a line'of hand composed matrices into a rotatable member carried by the transporter, rotating said member to bring the line into operative position at the line receiving position of said transporter, transferring said line to the casting position, and casting type therefrom.

2. A method of producing type on a typographical composing and slug casting machine having avertically movable line transporter and means for supporting matrices therein, consisting in introducinga line of hand composed matrices into a detachable part of a rotatable member carried by the transporter, rotating said member to bring thedetachable part thereof into operative position at'the line receiving position of said transporter, transferring said line to the casting position, and easting type therefrom.

a 3. A methodof producing type on a typographical composing and. slug casting machine having a vertically'movable line transporter and means for supporting matrices therein, consisting in assembling a lineof matrices in'a hand composing stick, inserting said stick into a rotatable ,member carried by the transporter, rotating said member to bring the hand stick into operative position at the line receiving position of said transportentransferring said line to the casting position, and casting type therefrom.

4. A method of producing type in a typographical composing and slug casting machine having a vertically movable-line transporter and means for supporting matrices therein, consisting in introducing a line of hand composed matrices into a rotatable membercarried by the transporter, rotating-said member to bring the line into operative position at the line receiving position of said transporter, transferring said line to the casting position, casting type therefrom, and returning said line ofmatrices to the line receiving position for withdrawal from the machine.

- 5.- A method of; producing typein a typographical composing and slug casting machine having a vertically movableline transporter and means for supporting matrices therein, consisting in introducinga line of hand composed matrices into-a rota'table member of the machine, rotating saidmember into operative position at the .line'receiving position of said transporter, transferring saidline to the casting position, casting type therefrom, returning said line of matrices to the line receiving position, and rotating said rotatable member so as to bring said line of matrices out of the operative position for witholrawal from'the machine.

6. -A typographical composing and slug casting machine having, in combination, a vertically movable linetransporter, and means for supporting matrices therein, comprising a rotatable head on said transporter, said head being provided with at least two jaws.

7. A typographical composing and slug casting machinehaving, in combination, a vertically 'movableline transporter, and means for supporting matrices therein, comprising a rotatable head on said transporter having at least two jaws one of which is detachable.

8. A typographical composing and slug casting machine having, in combination, a vertically movable line transporter, and means for supporting matrices therein, comprising a rotatable head on said transporter having two oppositely disposed jaws one of which is detachable.

9. A typographical composing and slug casting machine having, in combination, a vertically movable line transporter, and means for supporting matrices therein, comprising a rotatable head on said transporter having at least two jaws one of which is detachable, said detachable jaw being in the form of a hand composing stick.

10. A typographical composing and slug casting machine having, in combination, a vertically movable line transporter, and means for supporting matrices therein, comprising a rotatable head on said transporter having two oppositely disposed jaws one of which is detachable, said detachable jaw being in the form of a hand composing stick.

ll. A typographical composing and slug casting machine having, in combination, a vertically movable line transporter, means for supporting matrices therein, comprising a rotatable head on said transporter having at least two jaws one of which is detachable and means for locking said head with a jaw in the operative position.

12. A typographical composing and slug casting machine having, in combination, a vertically movable line transporter, means for supporting matrices therein, comprising a rotatable head on said transporter having two jaws one of which is detachable and a manually operable bolt engaging said elevator head for locking either jaw in the operative position.

13. A typographical composing and slug casting machine having, in combination, a vertically movable line transporter, means for supporting matrices therein, comprising a rotatable head on said transporter having two jaws one of which is detachable, a rotatable shaft arranged transversely of said transporter, a pair of manually operable bolts disposed on said shaft adapted to engage said rotatable head, and a torsion spring surrounding said shaft and exerting pressure tending to hold said bolts engaged.

14. A typographical composing and slug casting machine having, in combination, a vertically movable line transporter, means for supporting matrices therein, comprising a rotatable head on said transporter having two oppositely disposed jaws, one of which is detachable, said detachable jaw being in the form of a hand composing stick, and means for locking said head with either jaw in the operative position.

15. A typographical composing and slug casting machine having, in combination, a vertically movable line transporter, means for supporting matrices therein, comprising a rotatable head on said transporter having two jaws one of which is detachable, and at least one bolt passing through said head and said detachable jaw to retain said jaw in position.

16. A typographical composing and slug casting machine having, in combination, a vertically movable line transporter, means for supporting matrices therein, comprising a rotatable head on said transporter having two jaws, one of which is detachable, side plates in said rotatable head, bolts extending in slots in said side plates and in said detachable jaw, and a rod extending transversely of said detachable jaw and bearing upon said bolts.

17. A typographical composing and slug casting machine having, in combination, a vertically movable line transporter, means for supporting matrices therein, comprising a rotatable head on said transporter having two jaws one of which is detachable, side plates in said rotatable head, bolts extending in slots in said side plates and in said detachable jaw, compression springs bearing on the rear end of said bolts, a pivoted lever engaging said bolts to operate the same, and a rod extending transversely of said detachable jaw and bearing upon said bolts.

18. A typographical composing and slug casting machine having, in combination, a vertically movable line transporter, means for supporting matrices therein, comprising a rotatable head on said transporter having two jaws one of which is detachable, side plates in said rotatable head, bolts extending in slots in said side plates and said detachable jaw, a rod extending transversely of said detachable jaw and bearing upon said bolts, a downwardly extending plate having its lower edge bevelled on said rotatable head, and a corresponding downwardly extending plate on said detachable jaw engaging said first named plate, said second named plate being provided with an upwardly turned bevelled recess adapted to engage the lower bevelled edge of said first named plate.

19. A typographical composing and slug casting machine having, in combination, a vertically movable line transporter, means for supporting matrices therein, comprising a rotatable head on said transporter having at least two jaws one of which is detachable, means for locking said head with a jaw in the operative position, and at least one bolt passing through said head and said detachable jaw to retain said detachable jaw in position,

20. A typographical composing and slug casting machine having, in combination, a vertically movable line transporter, means for changing the cycle of movement thereof, and means for supporting matrices therein, comprising a rotatable head on said transporter having at least two jaws one of which is detachable.

21. In or for a typographical composing and slug casting machine, a vertically movable line transporter provided with a pair of line supporting jaw portions interchangeable as to operative .position with each other on the transporter.

22. In or for a typographical composing and slug casting machine, a vertically movable line transporter provided with a pair of line supporting jaw portions interchangeable as to operative position with each other on the transporter, one of said jaw portions being detachable for use as a hand stick.

23. In or for a typographical composing and slug casting machine, a vertically movable line transporter provided with a pair of line supporting jaw portions interchangeable as to operative position with each other on the transporter, one of said jaw portions being permanently attached to the transporter and adapted to receive keyboard-composed lines and the other jaw portion being detachable from the transporter and adapted to receive hand-composed lines.

RICHARD HENRY SCO'I'I, WILLIAM FAIRALL GORSE. ARTHUR STANILAND HAYWARD. 

